These White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies are so delicious and festive. These soft and chewy cranberry cookies are studded with white chocolate chips, orange zest, and tangy cranberries.
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Helpful Reader Review
“These are by far the best cookies! I had to make a second batch because my family and friends loved them so much!” – Tracey ★★★★★
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
These soft-baked cookies will be a favorite on your Christmas cookie platter this year. Arrange them with your Sugar Cookies and Gingerbread Cookies, and your holiday treats will steal the spotlight at any cookie swap and make the perfect gift for neighbors, friends and teachers.
If you love easy cookies like Chocolate Chip Cookies or Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, this recipe is for you. These easy-to-make cookies are delicious and effortlessly beautiful with bright red cranberries and snow-white chocolate chips poking through.
You can use fresh, frozen, or dried cranberries in this recipe, though fresh cranberries are preferred for a softer and brighter cookie (see the comparison below).
Cranberry Cookies Ingredients
These cookies call for pantry and refrigerator staples, especially during cranberry season, but you can use fresh or dried cranberries to enjoy them year-round.
- Butter – unsalted and softened, and at room temperature
- Sugars – brown sugar adds a chewy texture and golden color. Granulated sugar creates crisp edges.
- Dry Ingredients: Flour, baking powder, and salt. Use all-purpose (or substitute GF flour) and be sure to measure flour correctly.
- Orange Zest – adds a fresh citrus zing. It’s an easy to way to add great flavor.
- Vanilla – I use my homemade pure Vanilla Extract (These make great holiday gifts too!)
- Egg – should be large and room temperature
- White Chocolate Chips – add pockets of melted chocolate in every bite.
- Cranberries – fresh or frozen, coarsely chopped, or substitute with 1 cup dried cranberries if necessary. If you soak your dried cranberries in hot water for 15-20 minutes, you’ll get softer cookies.
Variations
You can get creative with the add-ins for these cranberry cookies. Try chopped macadamia nuts or walnuts, semi-sweet chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, lemon zest, or even a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg.
How to Make Cranberry Cookies
- Prepare – Preheat the oven to 350°F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Cream Butter and Sugars- Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and beat well to incorporate. Beat in the zest and vanilla extract. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is mixed in.
- Dry Ingredients – In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and beat just until combined and the cookie dough comes together.
- Fold in Cranberries and Chocoalte – Using a stiff spatula, just until incorporated. Don’t overmix, you don’t want to smoosh the cranberries.
- Shape and Bake – Shape into 1-inch balls (a small cookie scoop makes it easy), and place them 2 inches apart on your prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown at the edges. Don’t overbake if you want soft cookies. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Pro Tip:
Cookies with dried cranberries will bake faster since they have less moisture, so be sure to watch your cookies in the oven to prevent them from overcooking. Watch for the edges to turn golden brown and you’ll know they’re done to perfection.
I hope you enjoy these Merry and Bright Cranberry Cookies. Sending you the merriest wishes on your Christmas baking journey. May your oven be precise, your ingredients be plenty, and each cookie be a sweet reflection of the joy and warmth of the season.
Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (12 Tbsp or 1.5 sticks)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 tsp grated orange zest
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, or use your favorite GF flour, measured correctly
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 3/4 cups white chocolate chips
- 2 cups fresh cranberries (8 oz. bag), coarsely chopped, or frozen cranberries, or substitute 1 cup dried cranberries*
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream together the butter and both sugars for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well to incorporate. Beat in the zest and vanilla extract.
- Add Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the butter mixture and beat just until combined and dough comes together.
- Add Cranberries and Chocolate: Using a stiff spatula, stir in the cranberries and chocolate chips just until incorporated. Shape into 1-inch balls (a small cookie scoop makes it easy) and place 2 inches apart on your prepared baking sheet.
- Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown at the edges (Cookies with dried cranberries will bake faster, about 11-13 minutes). Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- To store baked cookies: store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days, or freeze up to 3 months.
- Make-ahead: Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 72 hours. To bake, bring to room temperature until it softens enough to scoop then bake as directed.
- To freeze cookie dough: Place cookie dough balls onto a baking sheet, cover, and freeze for an hour or until solid, then transfer to a large freezer-safe bag and freeze up to 3 months.
- To bake frozen cookie dough: Place the frozen cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake from frozen, adding an extra 1-2 minutes to the bake time.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
If you love these Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies, then you’ll want to try these other tried-and-true Christmas cookies. Try one, or try them all, and have the most beautiful holiday spread.
- Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Chocolate Truffles
- Russian Tea Cakes
- Almond Snowball Cookies
- Thumbprint Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Angel Wing Cookies
- Toffee Recipe
- Baklava
- Homemade Biscotti
Interesting flavor combination that I did enjoy — tartness of fresh cranberry with the sweetness of chocolate (I substituted semi-sweet chocolate chips for the white chocolate); however, my teenage sons did not care for the combination. “Why is there fruit in my beloved chocolate chip cookies?” 🙂
These cookies are delicious. They were good the first day, but now (a couple of days later) they are much more flavorful and I am addicted. By the way, I did use fresh cranberries and I think that really added flavor and helps keep the cookies softer.
I made this for a Christmas party and followed the recipe. The flavors are great. I will make it again for my family unit but with 1/2 the sugar. I’m sure it will change the texture. Even though the cookies were very good, they too sweet for my preference. Even my daughter said too sweet for the taste test. Thanks!!!
Hi Vicki, if using dried cranberries, it is a good idea to reduce the sugar since dried cranberries are sweetened.
in the recipe for the cranberry cookies it doesn’t mention when to incorporate the brown sugar, so I added it with the dry ingredients. Hope the recipe turns out good
Hi Gloria, we have it listed in step #2: “cream together the butter and both sugars for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy”. I hope this helps.
These were delicious, the first 2 days. For some reason they got so hard. I kept them in an airtight container. Not sure why this happened, I did enjoy them dunked in coffee, they wound up being more like a biscotti.
Hi Eva! Did you over-bake them or possibly use too much flour? Those are common reasons for hard and dry cookies. Watch my How to Measure Ingredients (Wet and Dry) VIDEO here.
These cookies aren’t just pretty to look at, they’re delicious! I’m gifting some to dear friends for Christmas.
Let me start by saying they are surprisingly good! Tart cranberries and sweet white chocolate chips. However a question. I did use fresh cranberries. Your recipe says 2 cups of fresh. I measured everything to the tee. The dough was really dense and in the end I had probably close to 1/2-3/4 cup of chopped cranberries left over. Again, it all came out well, but can’t understand why there were so many left over cranberries?
Hi Mimi, I’m so glad you loved the cookies. Make sure to measure the cranberries before chopping them – hope that helps!
Hi Natasha. Just waiting for the third pan to come out of the oven. I missed the “chopped” part so used whole cranberries! They took longer to cook….20 minutes but are delicious. Next time, and there will be a next time for sure, I’ll coarsley chop. Thanks so much for this recipe.
I used regular choc chips & not white & 1/2 tbsp I scooped to make cookies..
came out mini 65 cookies..
I used dried cranberries as well.. I think it firms up maybe after a while..
Thx..
Merry Xmas..
Blessings..❤️
Can I double this recipe? are there any changes needed? This is such a delicious recipe. Family and friends look forward to it every year!
Hi Denise. Yes, you can double it if your bowl is large enough. No changes are needed. I’m so glad to hear your family loved the recipe.
Natasha☺️
IJust made this cookies.. the flavor is on spot but it’s so soft.. is it supposed to be that way?
How can I pack it as a gift?
Thx..
Hi Sherry! I’m glad you enjoy the flavor of thr cookies. They are supposed to hold their shape well, did you measure your ingredients correctly?
These cookies can be stored in an air tight container at room temperature up to 3 days, or freeze up to 3 months. When ready to gift, transfer them to your cookie box/tin.
They holded their shape good & updating … it firmed up after few mins.
next time I will try with fresh cranberries & white chocolate ☺️or white morsels..
Thx
merry Xmas in advance..☺️❤️
White Morsels is all I’m seeing at stores..
can I use that?
I don’t see white chocolate chips.
Thx
Hi there! White morsels should be fne too. Enjoy!
Just made these for the first time! Can I put the fresh cranberries in a blender or just cut and dice as your directions? I gave my husband a cup to dice. But….I followed your recipe and they are delicious and pretty and a new addition to my Christmas cookie mix!
Hi JoAnne! I wouldn’t blend them unless you quickly do so on a “pulse” setting. Keeping them diced is best, you do not want them blended or soft like a puree.
Hi Sherry! If you double the recipe, you’ll use 10 oz total that’s correct.
Hi Sherry, any brand will work as long as they are white chocolate chips. I hope this helps.
I made these cookies twice, one day with fresh cranberries and the second with dried. They were both delicious but the ones with fresh cranberries were hands down the best. The tart of the fresh cranberries with the sweet chips were amazing. I also felt I tasted the orange zest more. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad to hear that you enjoyed the Cranberry Cookies! Fresh ingredients are indeed the best.
I usually love all your recipes but the amounts of ingredients for the cranberry cookies cannot be correct. There was either not enough flour (2 cups) or too many cranberries (2 cups). I had a hard time keeping my frozen cranberries in the dough plus I had a huge amount of them left over. What could have been wrong.
Hi Linda, I measure the cranberries before cutting them, otherwise the measurements are correct. Frozen cranberries will cool the dough more which makes it slightly harder to work with as the butter firms up more so you have to work pretty quickly once they are added. I’m wondering if that is what’s going on.
I just made them, They stayed in a ball shape. They never flattened out. They were still delicious though.
Hi Andy! That happens when there is too much flour. Make sure to measure correctly, watch my How to Measure Ingredients (Wet and Dry) VIDEO here.
Is this recipe missing some sort of liquid? I followed it to a tee and its powdery dry. I added another egg but it’s still really stiff.
Hi Tammy. I’m sorry you didn’t have a great experience. The most common reason for that happening is using too much flour. Please see my note above for tips and watch my tutorial on How to measure ingredients to ensure you’re measuring your flour correctly.
Natasha.. hru☺️
So for 60 cookies 1 cup of dried cranberries enough?
Thx..
Hi Sherry, if you are double the recipe, you will need two times that. We substitute with 1 cup dried cranberries for the original quanitity of 36 cookies.
Thx❤️will update u.. ☺️I never made cranberry cookies before… wish me luck plzz..☺️